Breakfast at the grill in Tuolumne, FLAPJACKS OF COURSE, and then on to Young Lakes. We were to an easy 6-mile hike, we thought, after coming over an 11,500-ft. pass. Well, we managed to take the WRONG trail, “WHERHEGAHHHHHWEEEEE?” after being told which way to go AND reading the map prior to departure!
The trail via Dog Lake was straight up, I mean straight up, straight up the friggin’ mountain. We now know how Dog Lake got its name. YOU ARE DOG-TIRED ONCE YOU GET THERE! “WHERHEGAHHHHWEEEE?” So, we asked everyone we passed how much further to Young Lakes. Two more miles a little further, a ranger tells us we are, “Half way there” and many a, “It’s just over that ridge.” After much insane trailside banter, we stumbled into lower Young. We decided on Middle Young Lake. The ultimate goal was Roosevelt Lake, known for its monster, whale sized rainbows. Only problem, it was over a HUGE mountain range, or so we thought. Young Lakes are nestled beneath beautiful rocky crags (10,912 FT Ragged Peak being one of them). A grassy shoreline and crystal clear water make it quite a picturesque place to be. After dinner, we all sat around and talked each other OUT of hiking on to Roosevelt, and INTO hiking out the next day and scrap our attempts to reach the monster trout. With tired backs, sore feet, and a general feeling of “having had enough,” we decided to call it quits. We would hike out in the morning.
